The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law provides national leadership in identifying, developing, and supporting creative and collaborative approaches to achieve social and economic justice for low-income people and communities. The Center engages in direct advocacy campaigns in Illinois and around the country to improve policies and programs on specific issues, such as housing, health care, asset building, job training, and public benefits. The Shriver Center’s advocacy niche is the nexus between federal policy and state implementation, a key position in this era of devolution of power to the states in many areas of social policy and law. The Center also engages in broader advocacy on general issues of justice, opportunity, and human rights.
Reflecting its original national mission as a leader in the law-based effort to achieve justice and opportunity for all, the Center’s advocacy has an intentionally national aspect in addition to its Illinois base. An important component of our national work in the annual publication of the Poverty Scorecard, which provides a snapshot of how each United States Senator and Representative voted on legislation having to do with a range of issues – twenty this year, including economic recovery, health care, asset building, housing and jobs. The Scorecard provides a measure of our elected officials’ commitment to achieving justice and opportunity for low-income Americans.
Why is this important? As a result of the Great Recession, 43.6 million Americans lived in poverty in 2009, a 17 per cent increase in two years. The Poverty Scorecard allows you to evaluate whether your elected representatives are working to reverse this trend. Look at the scores of your Congressional representatives and pass along either your congratulations or your disapproval of their votes. Hold them accountable.
For more information about the Shriver Center, please visit www.povertylaw.org.